


Find Me Somebody To Love

by mercurys_loverboy (FandomStar)



Series: Freddie and Arthel ~ "Canon" [1]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: 1970s, Coffee Shops, Dancing, Drunkenness, Epic Friendship, First Meetings, Gay Bar, Getting to Know Each Other, Music, Musicians, Phone Calls & Telephones, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 11:08:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18827446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomStar/pseuds/mercurys_loverboy
Summary: Arthel Jenkins never expected to meet Freddie Mercury. But he did. In a gay bar of all places!What he expected even less, was for Freddie to take so much interest in him. An interest that might just be reciprocated.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that this is written as pure authorial indulgence. Even if I have written an entire series of fics around Freddie and Arthel, and do plan on posting all of them.  
> Also, this is set in April 1976. In this canon, Freddie and Mary broke up in 1975.

The bar's atmosphere was chaotic and fun. Freddie grinned. Those were some of the best qualities a bar could have. It was also very busy, very dark and very loud. Some other good qualities that meant it was very unlikely that he'd be recognised. When Freddie stepped through the crowd, his eyes searched the people surrounding him. Immediately, his gaze found someone interesting. He carefully picked his way across the floor to approach the man.

"Hello, darling." Freddie greeted him from behind.

Startled, the man jumped before turning to face him.

"Hi?" he replied, searching Freddie with his eyes, both suspiciously and with familiarity. "Do I know you?"

"Perhaps," Freddie replied, trying to be mysterious. "My name's Freddie. You definitely know me now."

The man returned his smile, though less flirtily.

"I definitely do," he agreed, offering a hand for Freddie to shake. "Arthel."

Instead of shaking it, Freddie pressed Arthel's hand to his lips, startling him again.

"Arthel. A pleasure."

With raised eyebrows, Arthel pulled his hand away.

"Flirtation isn't going to get you anywhere with me," he told Freddie. "However, dancing with me might."

Arthel disappeared into the crowd, but Freddie quickly found him again and clamped a hand around his wrist.

"Then it's a good job I love to dance." he shouted over the noise.

Arthel grinned.

"Show me what you've got!" he dared.

Arthel and Freddie danced, talked and drank through the whole night. When Freddie asked after the time, he was draped all over Arthel as they were sat on a red velvet sofa.

"It's eleven twenty." Arthel told him, looking up from his digital watch.

"Fucking... fuck!" Freddie cursed, jumping up from the sofa.

Arthel got to his feet too.

"You have to go?" he guessed.

"I do."

"Then I'm taking you where you need to go."

Shocked, Freddie's eyes widened.

"What?" he exclaimed. "You are  _not!"_

"I am, I insist." Arthel said.

"I don't need you to come with me!" Freddie insisted.

Arthel sighed.

"Freddie, I have no doubt that you are a perfectly capable man when sober," he told his companion. "But right now, Freddie, you are as drunk as a lizard that thinks it has five tits."

Dumbfounded, Freddie stated at him. Arthel raised an eyebrow, before throwing an arm around him and pulling him through a side door. 

"Where do you need to get to?" Arthel asked when they got into the alley. 

"A hotel near Hyde Park," Freddie replied after some thought. "It has a big bus outside."

"Okay, not too far. I can do that," Arthel murmured, nodding and linking arms with Freddie. "I know some back alleys, no-one will see you."

Freddie just nodded, making Arthel roll his eyes.

 _I am escorting Freddie Mercury back to his tour bus,_ he told himself.  _I met Freddie Mercury at a gay bar, he doesn't think I know who he is, and he is absolutely pissed._

It was a laughable situation.

* * *

Just as they were closing in on the hotel, Freddie stumbled, nearly pushing Arthel into the road.

"Oi! Freddie!" Arthel said to get his drunk companion's attention.

"Yes, darling?" Freddie crooned into Arthel's ear with his head on his shoulder.

"Don't you dare pass out on me!" Arthel snapped.

Freddie lifted his hands in self-defense.

"Wouldn't dream of it, my dear!" he assured Arthel, before clinging onto him again.

They neared the hotel and the big, black bus outside, and Arthel pointed at the bus.

"Here?" he asked.

"Please." Freddie replied.

After pulling Freddie towards the bus, Arthel knocked on the door. When the door opened, the pair was greeted by a tall man with long bushy hair. Brian May.

"Fred!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, I brought your lost puppy home." Arthel told him, a little sarcastically, nudging Freddie.

"Where have you been?" Brian demanded, staring at Freddie.

"Around." Freddie replied, waving his hand in the air vaguely.

"At a bar, with me," Arthel corrected. "So he's not as drunk as he could be. You're welcome."

Brian grinned at him.

"Yeah, thanks, err..."

"Arthel. Arthel Jenkins."

Brian and Arthel shook hands.

Standing aside, Brian beckoned Freddie to go up the steps. Instead, he turned to Arthel.

"I'll see you around, darling." he said, playfully blowing a kiss, before stumbling past Brian.

Arthel pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and quickly scrawled something on the back.

"Mr May," he said, folding the paper up and holding it out to Brian. "Could you give this to him when he's sobered up?"

Shrugging, Brian took it.

"Sure thing," he agreed. "Guess we might be seeing you around, Arthel."

Arthel nodded.

"It's been good meeting you." he replied.

As he turned and walked away, Arthel shook his head and cursed himself.

_I'm such a fucking idiot._

 


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning, sunshine!" a voice shouted.

Despite his head pounding, Freddie opened his eyes to blurred vision and groaned. Eventually, he could see clearly, and Roger Taylor's face appeared above him with a mischievous grin.

"What happened?" Freddie asked, sitting up.

"You had quite a good time, apparently." John Deacon replied, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, a teasing smile on his face.

"Did I? I don't remember." Freddie murmured, pulling the blanket around his shoulders. 

"Well, anyway, your knight in shining armour told me to give this to you." Brian said, holding out a crumpled piece of paper.

"My knight...? Oh, Arthel," Freddie said, crawling across the seats to take the piece of paper. "Yes, he was rather lovely, wasn't he?"

He felt the band watching as he unfolded the paper. It was an advertisement for a small gig. In the corner was a hastily scribbled note:

_Freddie,_

_I enjoyed my time with you last night. Hope I see you again some time._

_Arthel_

Freddie's lips parted slightly, as he remembered more from the night before; dancing and talking with Arthel, the way his fringe fell against his forehead, the roll of his eyes and his laugh when Freddie said something silly. Freddie pulled out of his mind and read the advertisement more closely. It wasn't just a random gig being advertised - it was a gig Arthel was playing!

"Is it a love note or something?" Brian teased.

"No. No, not quite," Freddie distantly replied. "An invitation."

"An invitation? Give it here," Roger asked, skimming it when Freddie did give it to him. "You gonna go?"

Freddie glanced around at his expectant friends.

"Well, of course," he replied, smiling charmingly. "It's rude to decline an invitation."

* * *

That evening, the pub hosting Arthel's gig was full to the brim with people. This was amazing news for Queen, as the band could sneak in without being noticed. Freddie had tried to dissuade his friends from accompanying him, but they weren't having it. They arrived in time to see Arthel walk on stage wearing a jacket with purple sequins sewn on and tight black jeans. A guitar was strapped across his body.

Freddie found himself unable to look away.

"Hi everyone! I seem to be becoming quite the regular here. This is, what, the fifth show I've had here?" Arthel started, having sat on a stool, and the crowd cheered in response. "Well, I'm gonna start with something new I've been working on. It doesn't have a name yet, but I hope you like it."

As he tapped a foot, Arthel started out a melody on his guitar. Freddie could feel Brian twitch beside him, and knew his friend's musical interested had been piqued.

" _Every minute of every day, I think of you._

_My life would be such a whirlwind, if ever I saw you._

_If you would kiss me just once, it would be absolute bliss,_

_But you'd be here and you wouldn't know why."_

Smiling, Freddie applauded with the rest of the crowd. Arthel's voice was mesmerising. When he noticed Arthel's eyes find him at the back of the pub, Freddie grinned at him and dipped his head. Seeing this, Arthel smiled slightly, before diverting his attention to the rest of his audience.

* * *

After Arthel's set, Freddie caught a glimpse of glittering purple approaching him and the band.

"I see you brought some friends." Arthel said, grinning teasingly.

Freddie looked a little sheepish.

"They insisted that they should see your wonderful self," he replied. "This is Brian, Roger and Deacy."

Smiling, Arthel looked over the four of them and nodded.

"Yeah, I know," he told Freddie, before asking everyone, "Do you guys want drinks?"

The men, including a slightly gaping Freddie, nodded appreciatively. Arthel knocked on the bar to get the tender's attention. When she glanced at him, he signalled for five drinks. Once he'd been given the glasses, Arthel went back to the group.

"Did you know who I was the whole evening?" Freddie asked, his brow furrowed.

"Not all of it, but most of it, yeah," Arthel replied. "I'm surprised no-one else did."

"You're a fan, then?" John warily asked.

"I like your music, but who doesn't?" Arthel answered, shrugging. "If you're asking, I'm not gonna freak out on you at any point. I'm not meeting you as rock stars on a rising pedestal, why should I treat you like I am?"

Brian raised his glass.

"I'll drink to that." he said.

The five of them clinked their drinks together.

"If you knew who I was, why didn't you say something?" Freddie enquired over the rim of his glass.

"Same reason, really," Arthel told him. "We were having fun, I didn't want to freak you out."

Freddie felt oddly flattered that Arthel had been worried about making him uncomfortable, despite him feeling anything but around him. His friends also seemed to be relaxing during their conversation.

"Anyway, enough questions from you," Arthel said, rubbing his hands together nervously. "What did you think? And, please, feel free to tell me it was absolute shit!"

Dumbfounded, Freddie gaped at him.

"Why would you even suggest that?" he demanded. "That performance was amazing!"

The others nodded in agreement.

"You play guitar pretty well." Brian told Arthel.

Smirking, Roger glanced at his friend.

"That's Brian for 'you're an amazing guitarist, can I be you'." he corrected, still smirking.

As he laughed, Brian, whacked the drummer's arm.

"Oh, shut up, you bastard!" he demanded, with some fondness.

"Are they married or something?" Arthel jokingly asked a smiling Freddie, prompting a laugh from John.

Suddenly, Freddie touched Arthel's shoulder so he could turn him slightly.

"Arthel," Freddie started, before almost losing himself to the depths of Arthel's hazel eyes. "Arthel... your voice is exquisite, and I don't think that I have ever had the pleasure of hearing anything remotely like it before."

With wide eyes, Arthel gazed at the singer in disbelief.

"Thanks." he murmured, knowing his cheeks were going red.

He and Freddie gazed at each other for a long moment, before Freddie broke eye contact. After a second, Arthel also looked away, slightly embarrassed. 

"Although," Freddie began to add. "Your songs could certainly use some work."

Self-depreciatively, Arthel laughed.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not a very good lyricist," he agreed. "But I have to try. I don't know anybody who'll write for me, and I have to perform  _something."_

Understanding, Freddie nodded. Arthel looked up at the clock.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. I need to get to work early tomorrow," he told the band, reaching to shake each of their hands. "It's been amazing meeting you. I'm so glad you could make it." 

As Arthel was saying goodbye to the others, Freddie found a napkin and pen and wrote on the napkin. When he turned around, he felt his heart jump at the closeness of Arthel. He pressed the napkin into the man's hand. Arthel frowned at the numbers scrawled on it.

"What's this?" he asked.

"It's my telephone number," Freddie replied. "In case you need writing guidance. Or if you just want to talk. I'd like to keep in touch with you."

Catching himself grinning, he quickly closed his mouth. Arthel's eyes glanced between the napkin and Freddie, before smiling.

"Thanks. Maybe I'll use it." he said, putting the napkin in his pocket and waving on his way out back. 

Freddie gazed after him, not even flinching when a hand clapped his shoulder.

"Real smooth, Fred." Roger told him, insincerely. 

Scoffing, Freddie brushed at his hand.

"Oh, be quiet," he half-heartedly said, smiling as he turned to his friends. "Anyway, don't we have homes to get back to tomorrow morning?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Arthel was singing was mostlygenerated by a website I found, but I added and took away from it whilst typing this up. I'm generally pretty terrible at song-writing, so I thought that would be better than anything I could come up with, but the verses I've managed to write for other instalments aren't actually too bad!  
> Anyway, I hope you're enjoying this so far!


	3. Chapter 3

A week after the gig, Arthel was working behind the counter of a coffee shop. He was working at one of the brewers and keeping an eye on the clock when he heard someone lean against the counter. 

"Excuse me, miss." he said.

At the last word, Arthel's frame deflated. He finished the coffee he was making and placed it on the counter in front of the customer who ordered it before going to the newcomer.

"How can I help?" he asked.

When he looked up at the man, he was certain that the shock on their faces mirrored each other's.

"Arthel?" Brian May asked in disbelief.

"Brian." Arthel greeted.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was you." Brian apologized.

"Don't worry, I get it a lot," Arthel replied, smiling wryly. "Now, what is it you'd like?"

"Just a black coffee, please," Brian told him, getting money out. "I've been hoping to find you again, actually."

As he finished pouring the coffee, Arthel looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, really?" he asked. "Sugar?"

"Please, just one." Brian replied.

When the cup of coffee was placed on the counter in front of him, he smiled gratefully and placed his money on the counter next to it.

"Thank you very much." he thanked.

"No problem," Arthel said. "Look, if you want to talk, I get off in about five."

"I'll be waiting." Brian teasingly told him, grinning as he found a table tucked into a corner.

* * *

After six minutes passed, Arthel sat in the chair opposite Brian.

"I'm so sorry again about earlier," Brian told him. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Weakly, Arthel smiled at him.

"I know, it's fine," he reassured the guitarist. "Like I said, I get it a lot, so I'm used to it." In a swift change of demeanor, he rubbed his hands together in over-played anticipation. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Brian grinned over his coffee cup.

"Freddie." he replied, simply.

"Oh, really?" Arthel said. "Why's that?"

Suddenly, Brian barked a laugh.

"Why? He hasn't stopped talking about you, that's why!" he told Arthel.

"I doubt that." Arthel muttered bitterly, leaning back in his chair.

"Don't! We've tried getting him to shut up, but he won't listen!" Brian exclaimed. "He's either talking about your gig or the songs we're working on. It's sweet, really, I've never seen him like this about anything other than music or his cats. You should probably call him though, he's getting pretty irritating."

As his posture straightened, Arthel's eyes widened.

"Shit," he breathed. "I forgot I had that."

Brian laughed.

"I don't know many people who've forgotten they have Freddie Mercury's telephone number!" he teased. 

"I completely forgot," Arthel groaned, closing his eyes and leaning back again. "I've just been so busy, what with rehearsing for a gig next week and working." He glanced back at Brian. "Freddie wants me to call him, doesn't he?"

Sweetly, Brian smiled.

"He thinks it'd be very nice if you did get in touch," he replied, before leaning forward on the table. "Please call him. He's driving me and the boys insane."

"I'll do it today," Arthel promised, feeling sympathetic but also really wanting to call Freddie now that he remembered he could. "He'll be around tonight?"

Brian shrugged.

"Who knows? Probably. It's only Thursday." Brian replied.

Incredulously, Arthel raised his eyebrows.

"That's helpful," he sarcastically commented. "I wish we could talk more, but I need to get to the tube if I want some time to rehearse."

"Well, I'm headed that way if you want my company." Brian said.

"Only if you want mine." Arthel joked, grinning with a sparkle in his eye.

* * *

When he got home from his second job, Arthel collapsed into the armchair. Reluctantly, he glanced at his digital watch - it was half past nine. He had one last thing to do, though, before he could sleep. Finding the napkin with Freddie Mercury's phone number one it, Arthel picked up his phone and dialled the number. It rang through six times before someone picked up - not that he was counting.

"Hello, this is Freddie Mercury's telephone," Freddie said. "How may I help you?"

Arthel grinned, leaning back into his armchair.

"Hi, Mr Mercury. This is Arthel Jenkins, I think we met at my gig last week." he replied.

"Arthel!" Freddie exclaimed. "It's wonderful to hear from you!"

"I'm just sorry I didn't get in touch sooner. I've been really busy, so it just slipped my mind until I bumped into Brian this afternoon."

"It is quite easy to forget about little old me, people find."

Arthel laughed, and Freddie soon joined him.

"So, what has kept you so busy that you couldn't call me?" Freddie asked, and Arthel could imagine him stretching himself across his sofa.

"Music, work. Typical stuff."

"Oh? What is it you do?"

"It varies depending on who'll have me and who doesn't want me anymore. At the moment, I'm a waiter at a coffee shop, a stock assistant at a Tesco and a cleaner at small restaurant in central London."

The line went silent.

"Why do you work so many jobs?" Freddie asked, a careful tone in his voice.

"Not many employers want to take someone like me on," was Arthel's cautious response. "So, whenever someone decides they need someone and are willing to take me on, I take the opportunity and hope they'll keep me for more than a month."

"Someone like you...?"

"I don't want to talk about it. No matter how much I like or how nice you've been to me, I don't really know you."

"Of course, I'm sorry. You mentioned music. Do you have another performance?"

"Yeah, next week," Arthel replied, grateful for the change in topic. "It's at a pub by the Thames. I've forgotten what it's called, and I don't really want to get out of my chair to find out."

Freddie laughed.

"I know the feeling my dear!"

Arthel and Freddie talked until late into the night, only stopping when Arthel yawned, loudly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I must be keeping you up," Freddie profusely apologized. "Or maybe I'm talking you to sleep."

"If you are talking me to sleep, definitely take it as a compliment!" Arthel told him, quietly chuckling. "I should probably get to bed. I'd like to carry on with this sometime."

"I'd like that, too," Freddie agreed. "I'm free in the morning and tomorrow evening."

"We could make it breakfast then, if you want," Arthel suggested, knowing he was taking a huge leap. "I know a café that's out of the way."

"That is a splendid idea! Why didn't I think of that?" Freddie exclaimed, delighted. "When and where?"

Quickly, they came to an agreement on the time, and Arthel have Freddie the street and what to look for.

"Darling, get some sleep." Freddie softly insisted.

"Alright," Arthel agreed. "Goodnight, Freddie."

"Goodnight, Arthel."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scenes right at the beginning of this chapter with Arthel and Brian do contain implications of a quite significant detail that you will find out in the next part of this series.  
> I hope you enjoyed this and come back for more!

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the song Somebody To Love by Queen.


End file.
